How to Prevent Dry Hands From Too Much Washing
Since Coronavirus arrived my hands have taken a real toll. Back are the tiny (normally Winter) cracks that open up around the tips fingers and thumbs in particular. The smooth softness has gone, only to be replaced by sandpaper. It’s time to fight back...but how?
I have always been a fan of hand creams, often having several dotted around the place, all open and all-important to me.
Because I can’t resist a good hand cream my hands are generally not in bad condition...other than in the Winter when it seems that there isn’t enough hand cream on the planet to keep my paws happy.
However then Coronavirus arrived, and suddenly my hands have taken their normal Winter toll and magnified it horrendously.
Back are the tiny cracks that open up around the tips fingers and thumbs in particular.
The smooth softness has gone, only to be replaced by sandpaper. It’s time to fight back...but how?
Washing your hands frequently is the best way to minimise the spread of Coronavirus.
Scientific data has shown for a long time that the best way to reduce the risk of infection is to wash your hands well with plenty of soap and water.
Like you, I distinctly remember being told to apply soap and a little water and then meticulously clean our hands for 20 seconds (or the length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice!!).
The mixture of soap and water dissolve any oils or grease on the hands, where any manner of bacteria and viruses, coronavirus included, might be lurking.
As a result of a thorough rinsing process, the greases are washed away, sending the virus to oblivion down the drain.
So perhaps you have wondered, as I have, that might I not be giving the coronavirus pathogens the perfect opportunity to recontaminate my hands if I immediately applied hand cream after washing?
My heart (and hands!!) cried out for a soothing rich cream, but my head wondered otherwise.
Dry your hands thoroughly before applying cream - but do not share hand cream
In fact, I could happily breathe an enormous sigh of relief. As Dr Lindsay Broadbent from the Centre for Infection & Immunity at Queen’s University, Belfast stated: “There is no problem with using hand cream, as long as you have dried your hands thoroughly before applying it”.
Dr Broadbent then went on to advise people not to share hand creams at the moment, and not touch the opening of the tube.
In fact, make sure you use plenty of hand cream to avoid increasing the risk of infection.
Dr Ko, Chief of Medical Dermatology at Stanford Health Care comments that health professionals can wash their hands over 100 times per day, and that amount of washing causes so much irritation that hands often become “dry, cracked and raw”.
Unfortunately, those cracks and fissures increase the risk of contracting infections, and could also lead to skin conditions like eczema.
So the case for using hand cream is clear, and current guidelines suggest using hand cream after every hand washing, and whenever they feel dry or irritated, not just for our skin hygiene but also because the skin on our hands ages at the same rate as facial skin, and is exposed to just as much UV damage.
Just like I mentioned before in my blog on Body Creams, the skin on our hands absorb more moisture when they are damp, so applying a hand cream immediately after washing them is ideal!
Our list of top 5 hand creams
So we’ve done a little research here at Octavia’s Beauty and these are our Top 5 Hand Creams, in no particular order...
L'Occitane Pivoine Fleur (30ml)
If you like the sensation of a rich and luxurious cream then L'Occitane creams are for you. The fragrance of Peony (Pivoine Fleur) is delicate yet lingering and this cream is hard to beat.
Dr Hauschka Hydrating Hand Cream (50ml)
The people at Dr Hauschka’s really know how to treat sensitive skin and this hand cream is just perfect for dry, chapped hands. Certified to NATRUE standards all Dr Hauschka products are 100% organic, fragrance-free and dermatologically tested.
Dr Botanicals Advanced Prestige Protecting Hand Cream
Containing Raspberry Seed Oil rich in Omegas 3,6 & 9 and Vitamin E amongst its ingredients this cream is designed specifically to combat environmental damage to hands.
Mavala Daily Protection Hand Cream (50ml)
Swiss formulated with a 2% Collagen Solution this rich cream really focuses on keeping hands looking youthful and reversing the signs of ageing.
Dr Botanicals Moroccan Rose Nourishing Hand Cream (50ml)
Another gem from Dr Botanicals this is a lightweight cream formulated with Rose Flower Water, Coconut Water and Tiare Flower Extract to protect and repair dry skin. It protects against free-radical damage and calms and soothes irritated skin.
CONCLUSION
So to wrap up this blog on how to care for hands suffering from dryness the information is clear.
Handwashing is still the number 1 line of defence from coronavirus so we need to continue to wash our hands, but using hand creams is vitally important in the fight against the damage that can occur from overwashing.
Hand creams keep the skin supple and help prevent cracks and fissures that can lead to infections and eczema, and they are also the first line of defence against premature ageing of the hands.
Do you suffer from cracked skin from too much handwashing? Tell us how you deal with it in the comments below!